Tech

Volvo shows what the interior of a self-driving car will be like

When we discuss autonomous — or self-driving — cars, we often talk about smoother traffic, fewer accidents and more efficient driving. Arguably, these are relevant, but they miss perhaps the most important part of autonomous technology: People.

Removing the driving responsibilities from humans doesn't mean they're no longer part of the equation at all. When your car is driving you to work, you're still there. You may now be a passenger, but you need to do something.

Volvo and its designers have been thinking about this for some time. In response, the Swedish carmaker has created Concept 26 (C26). With redesigned seating, a luxurious cabin and engaging infotainment, it's an considered look at what the interior of autonomous cars will be in the near future.

Volvo Concept 26

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

Volvo Concept 26

Image: Volvo Cars

26 minutes

The "26" portion of the concept's name comes from the 26 minutes Volvo says the average American spends commuting each way to and from work each day. Along with how long people spend in traffic, Volvo has discovered that, for luxury car buyers, time — not wood or fine leather — is the ultimate luxury.

So while its designers aim to make the cabins of its cars cleaner and more elegant (in keeping with its Swedish design heritage), it also intends to make the time people spend in their cars more luxurious. And, for Volvo, that meant making the commute as enjoyable as possible.

That also meant allowing owners to relax and create while the car handled the commute. Before drivers can lounge, they have to first feel comfortable in their car. This meant turning attention to — and completely rethinking — the seats.

Seat-first

When drivers no longer need to be front and center with their hands locked onto a steering wheel, ergonomic concerns change completely. That pushed Volvo seat designers to rethink the automotive seat, a task they place just below automatic transmissions on the automotive engineering complexity scale.

The seats keep the pelvis in place while allowing the legs and back to adjust. That lets the driver's lumbar remain in a comfortable position while also maintaining a safe seating location.

Image: Volvo Cars

Then they freed the seat up to be positioned in any way the driver saw fit. Though they programmed pre-set positions, including "Create" and "Relax," they also included a "Free" mode that allows the driver to lean back and forth to find the perfect spot. The seat holds and smoothes out movements with electric motors.

The result is one of the most comfortable, cutting-edge seats I've ever felt. I'm not referring just to car seats — I mean all seats. And the comfort of the new seat is just the tip of the luxury iceberg.

Modes

In a self-driving Volvo, a driver uses the Auto Pilot system by first entering the destination via tablet-like touchscreen in the center console. From there, the Volvo system will offer at least a couple of routes, the shortest route or a route with more autonomous drive (AD) time.

The driver manually drives (MD) the vehicle along the route until the point — on the freeway — where the driver can delegate driving responsibility to the car. With a quick squeeze or the paddles behind the steering wheel, the driver gives driving control to the Volvo.

When Auto Pilot is engaged, on the right side of the instrument cluster a timer counts down how many minutes the system estimates it will remain in control. This gives the driver a chance to use the touchscreen to choose one of three preprogrammed seat modes.

Should they choose Create first, as I did, the steering wheel retracts toward the dashboard and the driver's seat glides backward, bestowing more legroom. Cleverly, the center console-mounted touchscreen moves with the driver's seat. This way, though the driver might be further from the dash, they're not far from essential car controls.

While the seat reclines, the passenger side of the dash rotates upward revealing an 25-inch flatscreen monitor. Now, the driver can access movies, shows or even some creative projects he or she has synced with the car through the cloud. The driver can control the monitor through the smaller touchscreen.

Should the driver not want to work or veg out on the latest show, he or she can choose Relax mode. This sends the seat reclining further, almost in a near-prone position, and a leg support rises out from under the seat bottom.

Amazingly, from even in this mode, the driver still has clear view not only of the road ahead but also of the instrument cluster. There, the car will continue to display updates of what it's doing so the driver isn't surprised by sudden movements. For example, if the car chooses to pass the car ahead, it'll show a graphical rendering of the process on the instrument cluster before overtakes.

When there are 60 seconds left of the AD left, the car chimes to alert the driver and shows a counter on the screen. At this time, the driver can select Drive mode on the touchscreen, which comfortably readjusts the seat to the proper driving position while the steering wheel, too, returns to its drive position.

The driver then holds the steering wheel-mounted paddles again to reclaim control of the car and Auto Pilot disengages. It's all very smooth and intuitive.

People

More than making a customer more comfortable on their daily commute, further elevating the level of luxury and enjoyment a driver derives from his or her car, autonomous technology will also change how we behave at home or work.

Imagine sitting at your kitchen table in the morning and your smartphone inbox is filling up with work emails. Rather than addressing them right then, if you know that you'll have 26 or more minutes to answer emails on the drive to work, you could spend an extra 26 minutes with your loved ones at the kitchen table and enjoy another cup of coffee.

The same goes for the commute home. If there's 40 minutes of traffic between the office and home in the evening, you might leave early. And that'll be OK because you will have free time while your Volvo handles traffic while you wrap up your workday.

Granted, those hypotheticals are a bit pie-in-the-sky — people are just as likely to catch up on Game of Thrones or zone out instead of cultivating more family time. Whatever the scenario, it underscores the transformative effect autonomous technology will have on driving beyond safety. After all, human error accounts for 90% of all traffic collisions.

Significance

There is one final, intriguing point to the Volvo Concept 26: Feasibility.

Unlike the Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo concept, which is a far-out look at lounge-like autonomous pods, the C26 has been built on the brand's new Scalable Production Architecture (SPA) and includes features and design elements Volvo says hint at near-future production models.

If you're hoping the rotating screen-fitted dash is the production feature, I hate to tell you; it probably isn't. That newfangled super-comfy seat, however, might well be bolted to your 2020 Volvo S60. At least, I'm crossing my fingers that it will.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.